Combination washing and drying machine



May 18, 1948. Q C, ZAHN ETAL' 2,441,926

COMBINATION WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE Filed July 13. 1946 F/G. l.

07'7'0 vC`. ZAf//v A/vo /fAeoLo ZAHN..

Patented May 18, 194,8

tto C. Zahn, Cudahy, Wis., and Harold Zahn. South Bend,.Ind., assignors to (.)tto E. Zahn,

South Bend, Ind.

Application July 13, 1946, Serial No. 683,392

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in washing machines, and particularly to that type of washing machine within which clothes may be washed and then'spun to extract the water therefrom and to condition them for ilnal drying.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a washing machine having a novel and simple construction and arrangement of parts, which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, and which has comparatively few movlng or controlling parts.

A further object is to provide a Washing machine having a dual drive from the motor to the machine, which drive includes automatic clutches which respond to centrifugal force and to the direction of rotation of the motor to be selectively operated automatically.

A further object is to provide a washing machine which is driven by a' reversible motor pref- .erably of the constant speed type and which has drive ,transmitting means associated therewith according to the direction in which the motor operates.

A further object'is to provide a device with novel means for controlling the supply of water tothe washing tub thereof.

A further object is to provide a Washing machine having a valve element associated withthe tub thereof and adapted to be opened or closed according to the direction in which the washing tub is actuated.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specifications.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the washing machine, taken on line I--I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken online 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail'sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral -IIl designates the supporting legs of the device, upon which is mounted a rigid platform member I2. The platform I2 forms the base for a housing I4 Whose bottom I6 rests upon said platform. A suitable cover I8 is removably mounted upon the housing I4.

ber 24. A vertical shaft 26 is journaled within the bearing member 24 adjacent itsupper end and is also suitably :lournaled by a bearing 28 at the lower end of sleeve 22. The shaft 26 projects above the bearing 24 and terminates adjacent the level of the top edge of the container I4. The sleeve 22 projects downwardlythrough the bottom I6 and the platform I2, and a nut 30 is threaded thereon to draw the bearing plate 20 against the bottom of the housing and to firmly anchor and secure the parts together. A hub 32 having a horizontal bearing surface projects upwardly from the bearing plate 20.

A sleeve 84 fits around the tubular member 22 with its lower end bearing against the upper bearing surface of the hub 32. The upper end of the tube 34 mounts a socket 36 which is pinned at 38 or otherwise secured to the upper end of the shaft 26. The tube 34 has an enlarged screwthreaded portion 40 adjacent its lower end and one or more stop means 42 adjacent the upper end of the screw portion 40. A circumferential groove is formed in an enlarged lower end vportion 44 of the tube 34 to receive the bottom wall 46 of a washing tub which is flxedly anchored thereto. The washing tub has frusto-conical side walls v48 with a substantial outwardly upwardly directed taper from its bottom to its upper edge. A plurality of openings 50 are formed within the upper portion of the tub and substantially above the normall water. level 52 in the tub.

An internally screw-threaded sleeve 56 of a length somewhat shorter than the length of the screw-threaded member 40 encircles and meshes with the threads o'f said member 4I). A plurality of substantially vertical radial water agitating vanes 58 project outwardly from the threaded sleeve 56 and are so arranged and disposed that they project below thelower end ofsald threaded member 56. A s ealing ring 60 is fixedly car- .ried by the bottom edges of the vanes 58, said sealing ringl having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the projection 44 .on the tube 34 which receives the inner margin of the bottom 46 of the tub. 'I'he bottom of the tub has a plurality of circumferentially arranged openings 62 therein which are located beneath the sealing ring 6I)r and adapted to be closedor sealed thereby when in the full line position illustrated in Fig. 1.

A pulley 64, having a hub 66 which constitutes a one-way clutch, is mounted upon the lower end of the shaft 26. A second pulley 68,' having a hub 10 which also constitutes a. one-way clutch, is mounted on the shaft 26 below the pulley 64. A collar 'l2 is fixed upon the lower end of the shaft 86 and supports the hub of the lower pulley 68. Suitable hubs or spacer means provide for support of the hub of the pulley 64 upon the upper end of the hub portion ofthe pulley 88, and the upper part of the hub of pulley 68 is adapted vto bear against a spacer element asso-- ciated with the nut 80 so that the pulleys 68 and 66 are prevented from loose play longitudinally upon the shaft 26. 'Ihe hubs of the pulleys 84 and 66 may be constructed as illustrated in Fig.

, 3 with a toothed interior peripheral surface whose teeth 'i6 extend longitudinally, and the surfaces 'i6 between which teeth are eccentric to provide a plurality of circumferentially arranged series of ways which are eccentric of the pulley land extend from the base of one tooth to the tip of the adjacent tooth. One or more rollers 'I8 t in each of these ways as illustrated. Ihe clutch construction shown. is, of course, illustrative only of a one-way clutch and any other .yg

form or construction of clutch found adaptable may be used. The clutches associated with the pulleys 66 and 66 are arranged oppositely so that. when a driving connection lbetween either of the two pulleys and the shaft 26 is eected, the other pulley will idle and be disengaged from the shaft 20.

A depending rigid support 60 is secured at its upper end to the platform i2 and has secured at 82 at its lower end a reversible electric motor' 86 whose shaft or arbor 86 projects vertically and upwardly adjacent the rim or outer margin of the machine. A pulley 88 is journaled upon the motor shaft 86, being supportedvby a collar 88 fixed on said shaft. A belt 92 extends over the pulleys 68 and 68 for driving connection therebetween. Above the pulley 88 the shaft 86 of the motor has fixedly secured thereto a worm or screw element 98. A second and upper pulley 96 is journaled upon the shaft 66 and bears against the upper end of the worm 94. A collar 68 is fixed upon the motor shaft 86 above the pulley 96. A belt forms a driving connection between the pulleys 96 and 64. An internally screwthreaded member |02, whose axial dimension is less thanthe worm 94, is threaded upon said worm, said nut being constructed to be of substantial weight.

Suitable controls, none of which have been shown, may be provided with the device. Such controls may include the control for the motor 84 and a control for intake and outlet lines for supplying and withdrawing water from the housing 4. Also, if desired, thermostatic means may be supplied for controlling the temperature of the water, and any other refinements and conveniences desired, and the use of which is well known in the art, may be supplied.

In the voperation of the device, assuming that water at proper temperature has been fed into the housing I4 to the desired working level 62 and that soap or other cleaningmaterial has been` introduced into the device along with the insertion into the tub 48 of the clothes to be washed,

the motor 84 is caused to be operated in one direction. For washing purposes the motor 84 will be rotated in such a direction that the clutch nut |02 will be urged, by its threaded engagement with the worm 94, to its lowermost position as illustrated in Fig. 1, thereby clutching or other wise effecting a driving connection between the shaft 86 and the lower pulley 88 journaled on said shaft. At the same time the upper pulley 96 will be declutched from the shaft 86 and thereby rendered inoperative. Driving rotation of the 4 pulley 88 is transmitted by the belt 92 to the lower pulley 66. The clutch associated with the pulley 66 is so arranged that when the pulley 88 is clutched to 4the motor shaft 86, the pulley 68 will be clutched to the shaft 28 to rotate the same. At the same time any tendency of the pulley 96 to rotate with the motor shaft 86 which is transmitted by the belt |00 to the pulley 64 acts to disengage the clutch between that pulley and the shaft 26 so that no driving action occurs between the motor and the shaft 28 through the pulley 96, belt |68 and pulley 66.

rIfhe rotation of shaft 26 serves to'rotate lthe sleeve 94 which is pinned thereto at 38 and thereby to rotate the threaded member 48 and the tub 46, 46. This rotation is in such a direction that thev threaded collar 661s urged upwardly to its dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 1, thereby spacing the sealing ring 60 above and clear of the openings 62 in the bottom 06 of the washing tub. This permits the flow of water into the tub through the openings 62 and a circulation of water between the interior oi the tub and the exterior thereof for washing action upon the clothing. In this connection it will be observed that the upward movement or adjustment ofthe threaded sleeve 66 upon the threaded member 46 is limited by the stops 68. and thereafter the vanes 60 are caused to rotate syn chronously with the shaft 26 and the sleeve 38 to agitate both the water and the clothing within the washing tub. By reason of the size of the pulley 68, the operation of the device in washing is comparatively slow as is desirable to prevent damage or injury to the clothing. Note also that the action of the rotating vanes serves to throw water radially or centrifugally and this, combined with the angle of taper of the walls 88 of the tube, permits the water to be discharged through the openings 60 without, however, permitting clothing within the tub to be expelled therefrom. In this connection the location of the openings 58 with reference to the top of the tub` may be calculated properly in accordance with the speed of rotation of the device to insure against the discharge of clothing from the tub during washing.

After the washing operation has been completed, the switch controlling the motor 84 is reversed to cause operation thereof in a reverse direction. The reversal of operation causes the clutch nut |02 to travel on the worm 94 to the full line position thereof for frictional driving engagement with the pulley 88, thereby releasing the driving connection between the pulley 66 and the motor shaft 88. The driving rotation f the pulley 96 is transmitted by the belt |00 to the pulley 64 in a proper direction to engage the oneway clutch between said pulley 64 and the shaft 26. This rotates the shaft 26 and the tub and associated parts in a direction opposite the dlrection in which these parts rotated for the washing operation. It will be observed that the free journaling of the pulley 86, coupled with the newly established direction of rotation of the shaft 26 which disengages the clutch of the pulley 68 from operative driving relation with the shaft 26, renders the pulleys 68 and 88 inoperative. Inasmuch as the pulley 64 is smaller than the pulley 68 and assuming that the speed of the motor shaft is the same in both directions of operation, the shaft 26 and the tub will be caused to rotate at a higher speed than the same were rotated when driven through the pulley 68. The direction of rotation of the shaft 26, sleeve 34 and the worm member 40 causes the threaded sleeve v 56 to be shifted downwardly to its full line posi.

tion until the sealing ring 60 seats against the base 48 of the tub to close and seal the opening B2 in the base of the tub, whereupon the sleeve 56 rrotates synchronously with the threaded member 40. By virtue of the increasedspeed of rotation of the tub in this reversed drive directiony a greater centrifugal force is exerted upon the contents of the tub and the water contained within the clothing is caused thereby to be discharged through the openings 60 to which it flows by virtue of the taper of the tub wall 48, This spinning operation effectively extracts all excess water contained inthe `clothing so that after operation for several minutes the clothing is in a damp-dry condition comparable to that of clothing which is passed through wrlnger rolls to extract excess water therefrom.

It will be noted that the device comprises a very simple and compact arrangement of .parts and that the parts are so arranged that very few thereof are required to move relative to their associated parts. No manual adjustment of parts beyond the possible manual reversal of the motor switch 84 is necessary. and even that operation can be omitted if a time control of any of the types well known in the art is utilized with the motor controlv switch. The valve operation to open and close port 82 is automatic and likekwise the engagement and disengagement of the parts to effect the change inl speed is automatic through the incorporation of the oneway clutches in conjunction with the pulleys 64 and 68 and through the clutch nut |02 which cooperates with the pulleys 88 and 96, also that the location of the tub 48 is fixed and that, except for its rotative movement, it has no free play or movement in the device. This is rendered possible by virtue of the concaveconvex shape of the tub and also by virtue of the control of the valvesl by said ports solely through control of the direction of rotation of the tub.

It will be understood that while the construction herein illustrated and disclosed is preferred, the invention may be embodied in other forms within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A washing machine comprising a water containing housing, a tub rotatable in said housing, reversible means for rotating said tub, an aperture in said tub below the normal water level in said housing, means responsive to rotation of said tub in one direction for closing `said aperture and in theother direction for opening said aperture, said tub having other apertures therein above the liquid level in said housing.

2. A washing machine comprising a housing adapted to contain water at a predetermined level, a frusto conical tub open at its large di ameter upper end rotatable axially in said housing, said tub having a. port in its bottom below f water level, reversible means for rotating said tub, and means responsive to the direction of rotation of said tub for respectively opening andv Note tub. and means shiftable axially responsive to the direction of rotation of said tub for respectively opening and closing said port.

4. A washing machine comprising a housing adapted to contain water at a predetermined level, a frusto conical tub open at its large diameter upper end rotatable axially in said housing, said tub having a port in its bottom below water level, reversible means for rotating said tub, a pair of cooperating meshing screwl threaded members, one member being rotatable with said tub, and a sealing element carried by the other member and adapted to span and seal said port in one position.

5. A washing machine comprising a housing adapted to be partially filled with water, a tub open at its top and having an outwardly upwardly flared contour rotatable in said housing and projecting above the water level therein, said tub having an inlet below water level, reversible means for rotating said tub, said means rotating said tub at a higher speed in one rotative direction than the other, and shiftable means responding to the direction of rotation of said tubfor vcontrolling said inlet to seal the same during high speed operation and open the same during reverse rotation.

6. A washing machine comprising a housing adapted to be partially filled with water, a tub open at its top and having an outwardly upwardly flared contour rotatable in said housing and projecting above the water level therein, said tub having an inlet below water level, vmeans for rotating said tub selectively at one of two predetermined speeds and in different directions, and shiftable means responding to the direction of rotation of said tub to open said inlet during low speed operation and seal said inlet during high speed operation for centrifugally expelling water from said tub.

'7. A washing machine comprising a housing adapted to be partially filled with water, a tub open at its top and having an outwardly upwardly flared contour rotatable -in said housing and projecting above the water level therein, said tub having an inlet below water level, reversible means for rotating saidtub, said means rotating said tub at a higher speed in one rotative direction than the other, and shiftable means responding to the direction of rotation of said tub for controlling said inlet to seal the same during high speed operation and open the same duringreverse rotation, and an agitator carried by said shiftablemeans.

8. A washing machine comprising a housing adapted to be partially filled with water, a vertical shaft journaled in said` housing, reversible means for rotating said shaft, a screw threaded member encircling and rotatable with said shaft, a tub carried by and rotatable with said shaft and having'an inlet in its bottom and below water level, and an internally screw threaded member rotatably encircling and meshing with said first threaded member for limited vertical movement relative thereto, and an annular sealing member carried by said last named member and adapted to bear against the bottom of said tub to seal said inlet.

9. Al washing machine comprising a housing adapted to be partially filled with water, a vertical shaft journaled in said housing, reversible means for rotating said shaft, a screw threaded member encircling and rotatable with said shaft, a tub carried by and rotatable with said shaft and having an inlet in its bottom and below water level, an internally screw threaded member rotatably encircling and meshing with said first threaded member for limited vertical movement relative thereto, and an annular sealing membei' carried by said last named member and um STATES PATENTS adapted to bear against the bottom of said tub Number Name Date to seal said inlet, and outwardly projecting venes 1,525,784 Twisss Feb. 1,0, 1925 carried by said last named threaded member. 1,123,408 Shimer Jan.'5. 1915 O'I'I'O C. ZAHN. 1,780,475 Gold Nov. 4, 1930 HAROLD ZAHN. 1,969,176 Kirby Aus. '1, `1934 2,269,190 Dunham Jan. 6, 1942 BWERENGES CH'EE@ The following references azi-e of record in the 3@ lille of this patent: 

